Wire Bulletin 11 Apr 2026 // --:-- UTC Signal Acquired — Orion Recovered — Crew Safe
Mission Complete
Artemis II
Orion Spacecraft — Crew Recovered
Final Mission Duration
09:14:12:08
--:--:-- UTC
Mission Complete · 10 April 2026

Home.

At 20:07 EDT on 10 April 2026, the Orion spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean roughly 50 miles off the coast of San Diego, California — carrying four humans back from the Moon. Mission Control called it “a perfect bullseye splashdown.”

The first crewed return from lunar space since Apollo 17, December 1972. Fifty-four years of waiting.

WisemanCommander · NASA
/
GloverPilot · NASA
/
KochMission Specialist 1 · NASA
/
HansenMission Specialist 2 · CSA
09D 14H 12M
Mission Duration
252,756 mi
Farthest From Earth
80 mi
Lunar Altitude · Flyby
24,600 mph
Re-entry Velocity
5,000°F
Peak Heating
4
Crew Returned
Artemis II Trajectory Replay — Top View
Pre-Launch
Day 0 of 10
--mph
Velocity
Orion's current speed relative to Earth. At this velocity, it would cross the continental US in about 75 seconds.
--mi
Earth Distance
Straight-line distance from Orion to the center of Earth. For reference, the Moon is ~238,855 miles away.
--mi
Moon Distance
Distance from Orion to the Moon. This decreases on approach and increases after the flyby as Orion heads home.
--mi
Altitude
Orion's altitude above Earth's surface. The ISS orbits at just ~254 miles — Orion is far beyond low Earth orbit.
--G
G-Force
Gravitational acceleration felt by the crew. In deep space this is nearly zero — true microgravity. It increases as Orion approaches Earth for re-entry.
--s
Signal Delay
Round-trip light time — how long a radio signal takes to travel from Earth to Orion and back. Mission Control experiences this delay on every communication.
MCC-H Flight Log // --
Archive
Homecoming · Image Gallery
From the Far Side, and Back
Official NASA and U.S. Navy imagery from the Artemis II lunar flyby and Pacific recovery. Click any image for a larger view.
NASA's Orion spacecraft floats in the Pacific Ocean after splashdown, 50 miles off San Diego
Splashdown. Orion rests in the Pacific, 50 miles off San Diego, moments after re-entry. NASA · 10 April 2026
Commander Reid Wiseman and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen in the recovery raft after exiting Orion
Wiseman & Hansen. Commander and CSA Mission Specialist in the recovery raft. NASA / U.S. Navy
Pilot Victor Glover and Mission Specialist Christina Koch in the recovery raft
Glover & Koch. Pilot and Mission Specialist, first and first — first person of color and first woman to circle the Moon. NASA / U.S. Navy
Navy divers and astronauts alongside Orion with MH-60 Seahawk helicopters in the background
The Lift. Navy divers secure Orion while MH-60 Seahawks prepare to individually hoist each crew member to the USS John P. Murtha. NASA / U.S. Navy
Reid Wiseman inside a Navy MH-60 Seahawk helicopter after recovery
Inbound. Wiseman inside a Seahawk, nine days after leaving Earth. NASA / U.S. Navy
Small boats alongside the USS John P. Murtha during Artemis II crew recovery operations
USS John P. Murtha. LPD-26 holds station 2,000 yards from Orion during recovery. NASA / U.S. Navy
Commander Reid Wiseman on the flight deck of the USS John P. Murtha after recovery
On Deck. Wiseman walks the flight deck of the Murtha — the first of the four, home. NASA / U.S. Navy
Four Days Earlier · Lunar Far Side
The Moon eclipsing the Sun as seen from the Orion capsule during the lunar flyby
Total Solar Eclipse. The Moon passing in front of the Sun, photographed through Orion's window during closest approach. No human has seen this before. NASA / Artemis II crew · 6 April 2026
Earth as a thin crescent suspended in the darkness of deep space, photographed from Orion
Home, From Far Away. Earth appears as a delicate crescent in the dark. NASA / Artemis II crew
Earth setting behind the Moon's horizon as seen from Orion
Earthset. Earth slipping behind the lunar horizon at 6:41 p.m. EDT — the reverse of Apollo 8's famous Earthrise. NASA / Artemis II crew · 6 April 2026
A glowing solar corona around the dark disk of the Moon with Mare Crisium visible
Corona. Sunlight wrapping around the limb of the Moon. Mare Crisium visible on the near side. NASA / Artemis II crew
Close-up of Vavilov Crater on the lunar far side rim, photographed from Orion
Vavilov Crater. A 120-mile impact basin on the lunar far side — regions no human had seen before this mission. NASA / Artemis II crew
Hertzsprung Basin with distinctive concentric mountain rings on the lunar far side
Hertzsprung Basin. Two concentric rings of mountains on the far side — the signature of an ancient, enormous impact. NASA / Artemis II crew
NASA Official Broadcast Artemis II · Mission Recap
Mission Timeline
Day --/10 --%
Launch Lunar Flyby Splashdown
T+0
T+0 -- T+240h
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Mission Gallery — Photos From The Moon
Crew
Reid Wiseman
Reid Wiseman
Commander
NASA
Victor Glover
Victor Glover
Pilot
NASA
Christina Koch
Christina Koch
Mission Specialist 1
NASA
Jeremy Hansen
Jeremy Hansen
Mission Specialist 2
CSA